Group of influential Syrians seek way out of conflict at Berlin talks

A group of influential Syrians has met for secret talks in Berlin to discuss ways out of the long-standing conflict in their home country.

The participants of the two-day meeting included people from areas under the rule of the Syrian government and from exile, as well as members of important families and tribes.

They are meeting without an official mandate, but with the aim of finding a solution after almost 11 years of civil war.

The initiative sees itself as an addition to the official UN-mediated negotiations between government and opposition in Geneva, which have been deadlocked for a long time.

The aim is to bridge the gap between the opposing camps, said Naseef Naeem, a German-Syrian national who moderated the meeting.

The conflict in Syria began in March 2011 with peaceful protests, which the government countered with violence that paved the way for a civil war.

With the help of their allies Russia and Iran, the supporters of President Bashar al-Assad now control around two-thirds of the country again. The rest is under the control of Turkish troops, rebels or Kurds.

Talks in this constellation go back about six years. In 2017, the participants agreed on a "code of conduct for co-existence in Syria" with a total of 11 principles.